What’s Happening with Emma? Tennis Fans Feel Sympathy for Emma Raducanu as the Shocking Mystery Surrounding the British Star Is Revealed
It’s now been almost a month since Emma Raducanu last played a match. The British No. 1 was thrashed by Amanda Anisimova in the third round of Indian Wells, and has since pulled out of two tournaments, the Miami Open and the WTA 500 in Linz. The 23-year-old is still feeling the after-effects of a virus that she picked up in February, and it could be another few weeks before we see her back on the tennis court.
It is understood that Raducanu wants to fully recover before returning to competition, especially with the impending surface switch to clay. It’s unfortunately no surprise that post-viral symptoms are still lingering for the world No. 28, who pushed through to compete in Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells, before she was eventually forced to take time out to get back to full health. Express Sport takes a look at what’s been going on with Raducanu, and how the symptoms have affected her over the last two months.
What we know
Raducanu reached the final of the Transylvania Open in February, her first final since her 2021 US Open triumph. But she looked out of sorts as she suffered a 6-0 6-2 defeat to Sorana Cirstea, and it emerged that she had been struggling with an illness. The 23-year-old later told the Guardian that she had picked up a virus “at the start of the tournament”. Still, it didn’t truly manifest itself until the end.
Just two days after she lost in the Cluj final, Raducanu was back on court, around 2,800 miles away in Doha for her opening match. She had her vitals checked and retired at the beginning of the third set while facing Camila Osorio. The Brit then competed in Dubai, losing her opening match. It’s understood that Raducanu was hampered by a cough and chest discomfort.
When she flew to California to compete in Indian Wells, she admitted she should have skipped the two Middle Eastern WTA 1000 events. “In hindsight, I think the Middle East was too much of a push. I wasn’t feeling good health-wise and kind of made myself stay out there, but I probably wouldn’t do the same again,” Raducanu said after winning her opening match. She then suffered a 52-minute defeat to Anisimova, taking only two games off the sixth seed, and has not played since.
The tournaments she’s missed
Raducanu withdrew from the Miami Open on the eve of the tournament, although she was not due to play for a few more days, getting a first-round bye as the No. 24 seed. She still had post-viral symptoms from the illness she picked up in February. Although she had just competed in Indian Wells, Raducanu had not yet made a full recovery.
The British No. 1 has now withdrawn from another tournament, the upcoming Upper Austria Ladies Linz, delaying her start to the clay swing. Raducanu wants to make sure she has fully recovered before getting back on the match court, especially with the change in surfaces.
What’s next
Raducanu has entered the Madrid Open, a joint ATP-WTA 1000 tournament that begins on April 21. Again, she would be seeded and receive a bye directly into the second round. This means that, should she compete, she will likely play her first match on April 23 or 24.
Beyond that, Raducanu’s current ranking of No. 28 will also earn her a spot in the main draws of the Italian Open, another combined 1000 clay event, and the French Open. The grass season follows, and she has already been confirmed for the WTA 500 event at the Queen’s Club, starting June 8. In
